United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the coast guard of the United States. One of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and the smallest armed service of the United States, it has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental pollution response and the maintenance of intercoastal and offshore aids to navigation (ATON). It also lays claim of being the United States' oldest continuous seagoing service.

Missions

The Coast Guard carries out five basic missions:

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• maritime safety
• maritime mobility
• maritime security
• national defense
• protection of natural resources.

A given unit within the Coast Guard may carry out more than one mission at once. For example, a 25-foot RHIB assigned to security around a key city also watches out for out-of-place or missing aids to navigation, pollution, and unsafe boating practices.

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Maritime safety

Search and Rescue

The Coast Guard has responsibility for search and rescue (SAR) operations in U.S. and international waters. Inland rescues are usually performed by 25-foot, 27-foot, and 41-foot (7.6 m, 8.2 m, and 12.5 m) boats. HH-60 helicopters serve on both the high seas and inshore.

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Search and rescue operations are numerous and varied. A sample of operations in February 2005 included:

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• CGS Chetco River, Oregon, dispatched its rigid-hull inflatable boat with a crew and an emergency medical technician on board to evacuate a fisherman whose hand was nearly amputated in an accident. The fisherman's hand was reattached.
• A helicopter rescued two recreational snowmobilers in Anchor Bay, Michigan, whose vehicle crashed through the ice.
• Boats from CGS Point Allerton in Hull came to the assistance of the fishing vessel Lady Lorraine, which was on fire off Scituate, Massachusetts.
• Aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, California, searched waters off Oregon for a missing light aircraft.

Large-scale search and rescue operations occur less frequently, but often involve many Coast Guard vessels and aircraft from a large area. Helicopters and rescue swimmers participated in the 36-hour rescue of six crew members from the 570-foot tanker Bow Mariner, which exploded and sank off of Chincoteague, Virginia, on February 28, 2004. Two rescue swimmers were awarded the Coast Guard Medal for their extraordinary efforts to keep the rescued mariners alive.

Related Topics:
Chincoteague, Virginia - February 28 - Coast Guard Medal

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Another large-scale operation took place in December 2004 in the Aleutian Islands, when the cargo ship Seledang Ayu, of Malaysian registry, broke in two in heavy seas. The Seledang Ayu carried soybeans, 424,000 gallons (1,600 m³) of fuel oil, and 18,000 gallons (68 m³) of diesel. The operation saved 12 of the ship's 18 crew members and prevented harm to nearby wildlife. Six of the ship's crew members died when a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crashed during the rescue.

Related Topics:
Aleutian Islands - Malaysia - Soybean - Gallon

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Marine safety

The Coast Guard operates a Marine Safety Office (MSO) in each major port in the United States. These offices inspect commercial vessels, respond to pollution, manage waterways, and licensing merchant mariners and charter boat captains. The MSO also drafts recommendations for the transit of liquid natural gas carrier vessels.

Related Topics:
Liquid natural gas - Vessel

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Recreational boating safety

The Coast Guard and its Auxiliary (see below), working with the U.S. Power Squadrons, perform Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) on recreational boaters throughout the country. Qualified Vessel Safety Check inspectors check for proper registration, an adequate number and type of personal flotation devices (PFDs), loaded fire extinguishers, and the ability to send a distress signal, either visibly by flare or flag, or by radio. Although Auxiliarist and Power Squadron VSC inspectors do not have law enforcement authority, Coast Guardsmen can issue citations to vessels without adequate equipment, and in extraordinary cases order a recreational boat to return to port.

Related Topics:
U.S. Power Squadrons - Issue - Citation - Port

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International Ice Patrol

Following the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912, an international conference of major Atlantic maritime powers agreed to fund USCG patrols to locate and report icebergs in the North Atlantic, in particular off the Grand Banks. The International Ice Patrol was founded as a result of this conference. The IIP was continued into 1941, during the World War II, to allow the United States a legal pretext to sail to Greenland. Shortly after the War, the IIP resumed operations flying three modified B-17 bombers. Today, this mission is carried out by Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft from CGAS Elizabeth City, North Carolina, forward-deployed to Gander, Newfoundland. These aircraft report sightings to the International Ice Patrol headquarters in Groton, Connecticut. Officers assigned to the IIP are required to hold not only a security clearance, but possess at least a master's degree in Marine science.

Related Topics:
RMS ''Titanic'' - 1912 - Iceberg - Grand Banks - Elizabeth City, North Carolina - Gander, Newfoundland - International Ice Patrol - Groton, Connecticut - Marine science

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Maritime mobility

The Coast Guard maintains the LORAN-C and DGPS radio navigation systems, as well as buoys, daymarks, and other visual aids to navigation in U.S. waters and in selected foreign waters—a major activity of Coast Guard buoy tenders, and of special Auxiliary patrols. The Coast Guard has three large icebreakers, and many cutters can clear ice-clogged waterways for essential seagoing traffic. The Coast Guard operates many U.S. drawbridges, including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C..

Related Topics:
LORAN-C - DGPS - Buoy - Daymark - Navigation - Patrol - Icebreaker - Waterway - Traffic - Drawbridges - Woodrow Wilson Bridge - Washington, D.C.

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Homeland and maritime security

Maritime security missions are coordinated through the Coast Guard Office of Law Enforcement, which is part of the Operations Directorate headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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Immediately after 9/11, the Coast Guard imposed restrictions on traffic in American waters. Vessels over 300 tons displacement must file notice within 96 hours of estimated time of arrival in American waters, or 24 hours for short voyages. Liquified natural gas carriers are forbidden to enter American waters without escort and to anchor near major cities. Coast Guard and Auxiliary units patrol key harbors and waterfronts and intercept foreign merchant vessels for identification and crew checks. The Coast Guard stepped up patrols in waters near New York City and Washington in 2004 after receiving reports of increased threats.

Related Topics:
9/11 - Ton - Displacement - Liquified natural gas - Vessel - Threat

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Maritime security patrols increase in number and intensity around special events, such as the Super Bowl, national political conventions, and Independence Day celebrations. Such patrols were provided during the 2004 Republican Party national convention in New York City; the June 2004 G-8 Summit at Sea Island, Georgia near Savannah, Ga.; and the January 20, 2005, presidential inauguration in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers of Washington, D.C. In addition, following the terrorist bombings in London on July 7, 2005, Coast Guard units were placed on a higher level of alert.

Related Topics:
Super Bowl - Convention - Independence Day - Republican Party - G-8 - Sea Island, Georgia - January 20 - 2005 - Potomac - Anacostia river - Terrorist bombings in London - July 7 - Alert

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Coast Guard helicopters enforce temporary flight restriction zones in Rotary Wing Air Intercept missions with the North American Air Defense Command, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United States Secret Service.

Related Topics:
Helicopter - North American Air Defense Command - Federal Aviation Administration - United States Secret Service

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As part of the Coast Guard's "Deepwater" program, cutters will carry 70 unarmed surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles.

Related Topics:
Surveillance - Unmanned aerial vehicle

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Port and Waterways Security

The Coast Guard is responsible for the security of 361 U.S. ports and 95,000 statute miles (150,000 km) of waterways.

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The local Coast Guard commander has legal authority over shipping in American waters as Captain of the Port. This role has increased in importance since the Sept. 11 attacks. The Captain of the Port can declare inland waters in his jurisdiction to be "special security zones", wherein commercial vessels must report their movements to the nearest Coast Guard station.

Related Topics:
Legal - Authority - Captain of the Port - Vessel - Movement

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The Coast Guard has dedicated Port Security Units (PSUs) that can be deployed around the U.S. or overseas, as in the Persian Gulf War. Coast Guard PSUs from Seattle, Washington; San Pedro, California; Port Clinton, Ohio and St. Petersburg, Florida were called up for active duty in the Persian Gulf between December of 2002 and December of 2004. Coast Guard members also jointly staff the U.S. Navy's Harbor Defense Command Units (HDCUs), part of the Naval Coastal Warfare command structure. Coast Guard members assigned to HDCUs have served in the Persian Gulf, the Balkans, Korea and elsewhere around the world. Both PSUs and HDCUs are primarily staffed by Reserve personnel. In 2004, many HDCUs were redesignated as Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons (NCWRONs).

Related Topics:
Port Security Unit - Persian Gulf War - Seattle, Washington - San Pedro, California - Port Clinton, Ohio - St. Petersburg, Florida - U.S. Navy - Harbor Defense Command Unit - Naval Coastal Warfare - Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron

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Drug interdiction

The Coast Guard is the lead agency in maritime drug interdiction. It shares legal responsibility with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Coast Guard units coordinate their Caribbean Sea activities with the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Related Topics:
Caribbean Sea - U.S. Navy - Royal Navy - Royal Netherlands Navy

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Coast Guard missions were responsible for about 52% of the cocaine seized by the U.S. government in 2002. For example, in February 2004, the USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715), based in San Diego, Califoria, operating north of the Galapagos Islands, seized 6,000 pounds of cocaine from a vessel. The Hamilton launched a helicopter that fired at and disabled the vessel's engine. Another vessel with 2,600 pounds of cocaine was also seized.

Related Topics:
Cocaine - USCGC ''Hamilton'' - Galapagos Islands

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Alien migrant interdiction

The Coast Guard, especially its Florida-based Seventh District, enforces U.S. immigration law at sea. Major areas of operations are off the Florida coast, the Mona Passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and Guam. Many of these missions are also search-and-rescue missions, since many migrants take to sea in unseaworthy vessels.

Related Topics:
Mona Passage - Dominican Republic - Puerto Rico - Guam

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However, interdiction does not always succeed. In October 2002, for example, a 50-foot (15 m) wooden freighter carrying 220 undocumented Haitians ran aground near Miami.

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US Exclusive Economic Zone and Living Marine Resource

The Coast Guard's legal authority to enforce fisheries laws flows from the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which extended U.S. authority over fisheries to the 200 miles (370.4 kilometers) authorized by international law. Their missions include:

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• Protecting the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from foreign encroachment
• Enforcing domestic fisheries law
• Maintaining international fisheries agreements

Law and treaty enforcement

Law and treaty enforcement account for about 1/3 of the Coast Guard's budget. Title 14, U.S. Code, Section 2 states: "The Coast Guard shall enforce or assist in the enforcement of all applicable laws on, under and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."

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National Defense

During wartime, the Coast Guard falls under the operational orders of the United States Navy. In other times, Coast Guard Port Security Units are often sent overseas to guard the security of ports. The Coast Guard also jointly staffs the U.S. Navy's Harbor Defense Commands, which oversee defense efforts in foreign littoral combat and inshore areas. In addition, in 2004, several 110-foot Patrol boats were shipped to the Persian Gulf to prevent arms and drug smuggling to Iraq.

Related Topics:
United States Navy - Port Security Unit - U.S. Navy - Harbor Defense Command - Patrol boat - Persian Gulf

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In December 2004, the USCGC Munro (WHEC-724), homeported in Alameda, California, deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, to provide maritime force protection, coastal and terminal security, and maritime interception for the U.S. forces.

Related Topics:
USCGC ''Munro'' (WHEC-724) - Operation Iraqi Freedom

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Protection of natural resources

Marine pollution education, prevention, response and enforcement

Marine pollution occurs not only through carelessness, but through accident. In the event of large vessels sinking, after the rescue of any crew, the Coast Guard's next goal is to prevent oil and other hazardous materials from coming ashore.

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For example, on November 26, 2004, the Athos I, a 750-foot cargo vessel of Cypriot registry, lost 30,000 gallons (114 m³) of heavy crude oil near Philadelphia as it was en route to the Citgo oil facility in Paulsboro, New Jersey. This incident triggered a response from the Coast Guard's Philadelphia Marine Safety Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey State Police, and from Citgo.

Related Topics:
November 26 - Heavy crude - Philadelphia - Paulsboro, New Jersey - Environmental Protection Agency - New Jersey State Police

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The Coast Guard's role was firstly, to minimize the damage from the spill, by setting up protective booms around the spill, and secondly, to work with the New Jersey State Police in air and boat patrols to assess the damage.

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Foreign vessel inspections

According to Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, vessels entering American waters must provide in advance to the Coast Guard data about the ship's cargo, the names and passport numbers of each crew member, details about the ship's ownership and agents, and a list of recent port calls in a "Notice of Arrival" form. This information is collated in a the National Vessel Movement Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and shared with U.S. Naval Intelligence in Suitland, Maryland as well as with the Port State Control (PSC) offices in major ports throughout the United States. From there, the Captain of the Port or his representatives in the PSC determines if the vessel involved needs a security inspection, a safety inspection, or both. Vessels must be inspected every 6 months.

Related Topics:
Code of Federal Regulations - Suitland, Maryland

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In September 2002, Coast Guard inspectors searched a container ship in New Jersey based on intelligence information and because the inspectors detected radiation in the vessel. The cargo turned out to be ceramic tiles.

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Living marine resources protection

Marine and environmental science